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Anna Vitayeva
Anna Leonidovna Vitayeva Polzina (Russian: Анна Леонидовна Витаева Ползина) is a Russian artistic gymnast. She is the 1999 all-around world champion, the 2000 Olympic champion on the uneven bars, and a fourteen-time international medalist. At the 2000 Olympic Games, she took third place in the team final, second in the individual all-around and on balance beam, and first on the uneven bars. At the 2004 Olympic Games, she earned a silver medal with Team Russia during the combined team competition. Later, she was forced to withdraw from the individual all-around due to a broken ankle caused by a fall on the uneven bars and failed to compete in the remaining individual events. Early Life Vitayeva was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, (then Leningrad, USSR) on 6 Februrary 1983. Both of her parents were gymnasts for the Soviet Union; her father, Leonid, was a bronze medalist in the all-around and the champion on floor exercise at the 1963 Summer Olympics. Her mother, Nastasya, was the junior European all-around champion for several years, but sustained a knee injury the year she turned senior and was forced to retire. Both later became the head coaches of the Russian National Gymnastics Team, based at Lake Krugloye (Round Lake) just outside Moscow. Vitayeva began gymnastics at the age of three, flourishing under her parents' coaching. She reached the Elite level by age eleven, and was named to the Russian National Team for the first time at age twelve. From then on, she along with her parents lived permanently at the Round Lake training center, only returning to their home outside St. Petersburg for holidays and during the two-week break the team was given at the end of each season. Senior Career 1999 In 1999, Vitayeva turned sixteen, enabling her to participate in international competitions such as World Championships and the Olympics. 2000 After a successful Russian and European Championships, Vitayeva was named to the Olympic team. At the Games in Sydney, she won a bronze medal in the team event, a silver on balance beam, and took the gold in the individual all-around and on her best event, the uneven bars. During the team final, Vitayeva unveiled the first of her two eponymous skills: a release move consisting of a full, blind flip over the high bar. 2001 Vitayeva did not take a rest period after the Olympic Games in Sydney. From the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001, she trained at full strength to upgrade her routines and work towards spots on the European and World Championship teams. Relationship with Vasily Polzin 2002: Pregnancy & relationship with the Castor family 2003 2004 2005: Injury & retirement from gymnastics 2020 Olympic Games: The Castor Kidnapping Personal Life In 2007, Vitayeva married her longtime sweetheart and former assistant coach, Vasily Polzin. In 2020, following the discovery of her husband's involvement in the kidnapping of Samantha Castor, Vitayeva filed for divorce and emigrated to the United States. She currently resides in Dallas, Texas, where she works as the coach for the Level 8-10 gymnasts at the Dallas Olympic Gymnastics Academy.